


The Progress of Change

by IvyCpher



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders Has Panic Attacks, Break Up, Hurt Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, OT4, OT5, Past Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Deceit Sanders, Polyamory, Post-Break Up, Sympathetic Deceit Sanders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 05:09:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20886629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvyCpher/pseuds/IvyCpher
Summary: When Virgil leaves to become a light side, he and Deceit have a bad breakup. After some time of being with the light sides, he develops a love for all three Logan, Roman, and Patton that they all return for him. But soon, Deceit comes back and slithers his way into Virgil's partners' hearts.





	The Progress of Change

"Dee, I just.. I can't do this anymore," Virgil said quietly from across the kitchen table in the dark sides' part of Thomas' mind. "It's not that I don't love you, I.." He sighed and cracked his knuckles nervously even though they wouldn't crack anymore. "I just can't stand how Thomas thinks of me, I want to  _ help  _ him not  _ frighten  _ him and.. and joining them is the only way I can do that."

The talk. It was the talk that Virgil had been dreading but he knew he couldn't put it off any longer. He wanted to join the light sides to better help Thomas. So he could be more than just unwanted anxiety.

Deceit sat across from Virgil, unable to form words for a moment. His gloved hands twitched on the table like he didn't know what to do with them. "You're leaving?" He finally asked, his voice shaking somewhat. "You're leaving Remus and I to join them?"

A pained look crossed Virgil's face and he reached out to grab Deceit's hand but he pulled away. "I don't want to leave you, Dee! I don't.. You could come with me you know.. Thomas doesn't know about you so you'll have a cleaner start. I'm sure that the others would warm up to you too!"

"And what about Remus? I don't plan to leave him like you're leaving us." Deceit hissed, he pushed back his chair and stood up. "You know the commotion he causes, you also know that  _ they  _ wouldn't be as fast to accept him. None of them would."

The relationship Virgil had with Deceit wasn't a conventional one in the slightest. While he was dating and in love with Dee and Dee returned his feelings full heartedly, Dee was also in a relationship with Remus, but Virgil wasn't in any relationship with Remus. To be honest, he hadn't really thought about Remus in this situation due to the fact that he only cared about Deceit. He opened his mouth and closed it again before slowly standing up, "Dee, it's what's best for Thomas.. You know that's what we're here for, to take care of him."

"Is it really the best for Thomas or is it the best for you,  _ Virgil?  _ Because as far as I knew he flinched every time you entered the same room! He asked all his friends for help on how to manage you!" Deceit took a stride towards Virgil and jabbed his finger in his chest. "You're the one who makes him so  _ paranoid  _ that he can't even function when you're around!" But at these words, Dee had gone too far and he knew it.

Virgil's off colour eyes had filled with tears and his chest was heaving. Before Deceit could even utter one word of apology he punched him and ran from there as fast as he could. Not wanting to be hurt, not wanting to have hurt Deceit, but just wanting to get out of there no matter what before he couldn't breathe.

***

That was nearly a year ago.

Now Virgil had shoved Deceit out of his mind.. for the most part at least. Now he lived with the other light sides, now he  _ was  _ a light side. And most importantly… no one was frightened of him anymore.

But a change bigger than all of those combined was that, well he was loved again. Virgil was certain that when he left Deceit to become a light side, to help Thomas, that he would never be loved again. That Deceit was the only person who would ever truly love him. But God, Virgil was never so happy to be wrong. Because now Virgil felt more loved than he had ever been in his life. He had three wonderful boyfriends, the other light sides: Logan, Patton, and Roman. And he loved them all to death.

Everything was great with them, it really was. They'd have movie nights and take turns making dinner and sing old songs and dance and just do about everything else that they could do. And sure, sometimes they had squabbles, but they were never bad. They were usually just disagreements on how to help Thomas or someone eating the last poptart or someone forgetting to fold the laundry. It was.. all so nice and domestic and just beyond words for Virgil to explain.

But then Deceit started making himself known in their conversations, and even a few times disguised himself as one of the other sides to try and get Thomas to lie or believe he was some wicked person. It took Virgil aback seeing him again, especially with him so seemingly intent on messing with Thomas. But then.. Deceit started to change, to turn down his lying. While he was still annoying and suggested sometimes outrageous lies, he mostly popped up to visit the other sides, to visit Virgil's boyfriends.

And that made Virgil jealous.

He could see how Deceit was slithering into their hearts like he had once slithered into his own and it made him feel sick. It made him feel angry. It made him feel hurt. Because he had tried to bring Dee with him and he had refused and hurt him worse than he had ever done before. Because now here he was, in  _ his  _ life, talking to  _ his  _ partners and making them fall for him. Because Virgil couldn't say anything. Because he couldn't just not let them fall for Dee. Because he couldn't control them and tell them that they shouldn't hang around him.

But because Virgil knew everything he couldn't do, it made it somewhat easier to find something he could do. He called one of the emergency living room meetings that he hated so much and waited for his partners to arrive.

Logan was the first to arrive, punctual as ever. "Virgil?" He asked, straightening his glasses as he walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. "You begrudgingly come to the emergency meetings but yet you called this one? Is there something wrong?"

Just as Virgil was opening his mouth to reply, Roman and Patton came in hand in hand and flopped on the couch besides Logan. "What's the matter V? You hate our big family meetings. Never thought I'd see you call one." Patton said.

"Not as much as I hate you calling them that-" Virgil couldn't hide the smile that crossed his lips. He felt awkward being the only one standing while his partners were all sitting however so he sat on the arm of the couch next to Logan. "But since you all know I hate these things, you can guess that I wouldn't call a meeting unless it was really needed." He sighed softly and looked at all of them, hoping that he wouldn't upset them by what he had to say next. "It's about Deceit."

And as soon as Virgil said that all of their eyes left him and they all started busying themselves with little things. Logan started to clean his glasses, Patton examined his painted nails, and Roman was fixing his hair. But when none of them said anything about it, Virgil continued. "I know how you all like him.. It's not hard to notice really.. How he's always here anymore, none of you all really seem to care.."

"Oh, Virgil! You know we still love you!" Roman interrupted. "Our hearts are large enough for everyone!"

"And we just didn't know how to tell you," Patton nodded, "We knew you didn't like Dee much and we didn't want to make things awkward."

Logan put his glasses back on, "We've been trying to do things slowly… We didn't just want to hand you this information out of nowhere and expect you to accept it quickly."

"No guys-" Virgil sighed and pulled at one of his hoodie strings, he watched as they became horribly uneven. "I don't care.. I don't care that you guys like him. And I know that you all still love me. It's just- I was dating him before I came to become a better side and we had a pretty nasty breakup when I left.. I just don't want that to happen to you guys with him like it did to me."

"Oh, Virgil if there's bad stuff between you two that's fine!" Patton said quickly, he hopped off the couch and wrapped his arms around Virgil's neck. "If you want us to break it off with him-"

"No! No! You don't have to do that." Virgil said quickly. "I want you all to be happy, and if he makes you happy then.. Hi-de-ho get with the serpent." He vaguely waved his hand then put it on Patton's arm. "I don't want you guys to feel like you have to choose between me and him, because you don't. I'm just trying to say that it may just take me some time to get used to all of this.. And that I hope you don't mind that I sometimes leave the room when he comes in."

"Goodness why are our own love lives so much better than any John Green novel?" Roman smiled softly. "I don't mind in the slightest if you duck out from time to time. I'm really glad you told us this though.. It would've been horrible it we ended up driving you away."

"I know you may not be up to it now," Logan started, reaching out to put a hand on Virgil's elbow. "But I think you might feel better if you go talk to Deceit. This is probably as hard for him as it is for you."

A weight lifted from Virgil's mind at knowing that his partners were fine with him taking his time and getting used to them being with Deceit. He nodded softly, "Yeah I just might do that, Lo'.. Thanks for all of you understanding. Can the meeting be adjourned now?"

Patton rolled his eyes and pressed a large kiss to Virgil's cheek. "Of course not! The meeting can't be over yet, not when you just worked yourself up so much! You need affection!"

Roman grinned, "I agree! Logan, how much affection does Virgil need until he can end the meeting?" He asked, shaking the Logical side's arm. "We have to make sure he's loved up!"

A small grin pulled at Logan's lips. He straightened his glasses then pulled his phone out of his pocket and went to the calculator app. "Let's see," He muttered, typing in a calculation. "He needs at least a thousand kisses." He said finally turning off his phone and putting it on the coffee table.

"Oh my God I'm gonna die." Virgil laughed. "I can't take that much love!"

"Well then  _ prepare to die- _ of love cause we just can't get enough of you!" Patton smiled and immediately started smothering Virgil with kisses.

***

Virgil planned to take Logan's advice, he really did. But every time he saw Dee his chest grew tight and he felt like he would spiral into a panic attack if he talked to him. So it took some time, a lot of time, before Virgil could even trust himself to be calm in Deceit's presence before he talked to him. And in that time that it took Virgil to get used to Deceit, it had been a few months.

But finally Virgil worked up his courage.

Deceit was just leaving Logan's room and heading down the hallway to the door that lead to his and Remus' side of Thomas' mind. Since he was so far ahead of him that Virgil hesitated for just a moment before running to catch up with him. "Hey, Dee! Hold it a moment." He said, stopping behind him.

Deceit visibly stiffened and turned around to look at Virgil, his lips were pressed in a thin line and he looked paler than usual. "Ah.. Hello, Virgil. You're looking dark and brooding as always. Do you need something?"

Virgil resisted rolling his eyes, no, he couldn't. He had to make sure this went smoothly. "I know you're.. well I know you're seeing the others. Logan, Roman, and Patton I mean."

"Is there a problem with that?"

"No-... I mean.." Virgil sighed and looked at the ground. "I'm just going to have to get used to you again is all, I don't want to fight with you, Dee." He looked up, "Not again. But I want you to know that this is just going to be awkward for a while, I mean they're my partners too."

"I'd never try and take them from you," Deceit moved like he was going to take a step closer to Virgil but stopped. He straightened the clasp on his cape instead, taking longer than was necessary considering it was already straight. "I don't want to fight you either you know, that's the last thing I'd like to do. Honest truth." He said quickly, catching Virgil's skeptical look. "Listen.. I.. I never apologized for what I said to you, when you left."

"Oh." Virgil said simply, he picked at the fraying strings on the cuff of his hoodie. "It's fine."

"Now you're the one lying," Deceit rolled his eyes. He reached out and grabbed Virgil's hand. "I shouldn't have said what I did. I was angry…" He looked away and his grip around Virgil's wrist tightened slightly. "And I don't want to force myself into your life if you don't want me in it. I understand."

"Don't-" Virgil took a big breath and looked up at Deceit. "I never said I didn't want you in my life. I said it would just take some time to get used to you again… And when that happens.. I don't know maybe things will be easier. Maybe we can be friends again. But not now. I need time."

With a nod, Deceit let go of Virgil's wrist. He held his gloved hands at his waist. "Take all the time you need." He said, turning around, continuing on his way. Virgil watched him go, he was just reaching out for the handle on the door when he stopped. "I still love you, you know."

"Yeah…" Virgil paused. "I know."

**Author's Note:**

> This. This is just crack.  
I HC Deceit's real name as Dmitri.
> 
> Comments are very much appreciated!!!


End file.
